I have used 4x4 only once that it was truly needed, and that was to tow a kombi that had slipped into a muddy verge once back onto terra semi-firma.Being near a herd of elephants made it fairly exciting to put the tow rope on though lol, my brother was ready to jump into the back of the bakkie if they came closer!That said, if I am in my 4x4 , and the roads are slippery, I will engage it to help save the roads from potholes.

Who needs a 4x4???????? Roads are generally good. They are only needed for the 4x4 trails and the low maintenance roads. BUT I do like the extra height they give so prefer to be in one, BUT scared of going in my daughters 1400cc Hyundai Getz? Never, as long as I'm there

"In the end we conserve only that which we love, we love only that which we understand, we understand only that which we are taught" (Baba Dioum, Senegalese Ecologist)

Yesterday there was a jam with the Lions at Sable, I parked my 4x4 on the side of the road, saw them better than most due to clearance, but we do the trails often as possible, & at Phalaborwa gate is those "Little low Maintenance roads"

Aslo, I cause less damage to dirt roads(Corrucations), & if things get tough, I have the vehicle.

I have never been to Kruger in a 4x4 and have been there 100's of times.We definitely see as many animals as our friends in the "high" vehicles and have even on occasion followed a group of lions with the 4x4's following us and asking "where are they now?"Perhaps I am sometimes a bit for not having one [would love to explore the KTP], but scared in my little car: WHY??????

The world is truly round and seems to start and end with those we love...Nelson MandelaDecember '12????1-6 May '13

PJW I had a 1300cc Hyundai Getz 5 years ago and we took the road all the way from Eastern Cape to Kruger National Park in March and we took the BAD / pothole road through Mpumalanga ! We stayed in the South of Kruger for 7 days and had a great time with my White Getz ! No problem at all. The only problem I had was that my car was the same size as a baby elephant? So where ever we came across elephants - We were scared. Any car will do in Kruger !!

So what's wrong with a 2x4? {Slightly} cheaper but the same height. OK you can't do the 4x4 trails but the low maintenance roads near Phalaborwa gate are accessible in one.

Do a trail in a 4x4 and you will quickly wish you had one. It is just so lekker!

& those slating 4x4's on this thread, We love out vehicles & what extras we have.

he he he . The point is a 4x4 is just so lekker, we used to visit the parks in a Yaris and now have a Hilux 4x4 and it has opened up so many places and actvities that we could not go to or do before. And the amount of packing space we now have is awesome.

I can remember only one occasion when a 4x4 vehicle was permitted to drive where a 'normal' vehicle wasn't. The Shingwedzi river was in full flow (it was Dec 2001, I think) and, for a day or two, only 4x4s were allowed to drive over the causeway next to the camp. Even so, only a few brave souls risked it.

Over here in the UK, 4x4 vehicles have become very popular in dealing with important off-road tasks, such as taking the kids to school or trips to the supermarket. Most owners know nothing about 4x4 driving.

Driving a Land Rover some years ago in N'gorongoro, I had to winch a group of tourists in a Toyota LandCruiser out of some thick mud. The "guide" who managed to drive them into the mud didn't have a clue about how to get out. Incredibly, he had no rope and no winch ! I won't mention any names but Abercromby and Kent - the so-called luxury holiday specialists - need to brush up on their recruitment qualifications. To cap it all, the stranded tourists didn't even bother to get out of the vehicle as I winched them out ! No problem for the Landy though

There is another way to answer the question in this thread title....Without a 4x4.I can't..... Block small sedans view at a lion sightingWithout a 4x4.I can't...... Go off road at a sighting to follow the big cat into the bushWithout a 4x4.I can't.......Bully other smaller vehicles out of my wayWithout a 4x4.I can't...... park illegally on the pavement at the camp shops and picnic sitesNow before all the 4x4 owners go mad.... I drive a 4x4 and on other threads we are accused of all these things, none of which my SO and I do or ever intend doing. I just wonder if anyone has any others to add in this vein?

"In the end we conserve only that which we love, we love only that which we understand, we understand only that which we are taught" (Baba Dioum, Senegalese Ecologist)